They moved the location of the Winlink website and this has caused all stations that had not been recently updated from reporting status properly or autoupdating.

Go to  ftp://autoupdate.winlink.org/Sysop%20Programs/ and download RMS Packet Setup 2117.zip.  Save your .ini file somewhere and move it back after you reinstall. This will save you from starting from scratch.  Take down RMS Packet and uninstall it. Unzip the new RMS Packet installer and install. Restart RMS Packet and you should be good to go.

Also all NTX RMS Packet uptimes can now be found at http://n5tw.ecpi.com/rmsstatus  or by clicking on the NTX RMS Packet Status link in the sidebar on the right-hand side of this page. If anyone has changes or knows of new RMS Packet stations or obsolete stations please let John Galvin know so he can update the data base with this information. Email him at n5tim@arrl.net.

(Submitted by John Galvin via e-mail)

NVIS, or Near Vertical Incidence Skywave, refers to a radio propagation mode which involves the use of antennas with a very high radiation angle, approaching or reaching 90 degrees (straight up), along with selection of an appropriate frequency below the critical frequency, to establish reliable communications over a radius of 0-200 miles or so, give or take 100 miles. Although not all radio amateurs have heard the term NVIS, many have used that mode when making nearby contacts on 160 meters or 80 meters at night, or 80 meters or 40 meters during the day. They may have thought of these nearby contacts as necessarily involving the use of groundwave propagation, but many such contacts involve no groundwave signal at all, or, if the groundwave signal is involved, it may hinder, instead of help. Deliberate exploitation of NVIS is best achieved using antenna installations which achieve some balance between minimizing groundwave (low takeoff angle) radiation, and maximizing near vertical incidence skywave (very high takeoff angle) radiation.

Not just any old frequency will work for NVIS. Successful NVIS work depends on being able to select, or find (through trial and error), a frequency which will be reflected from the ionosphere even when the angle of radiation is nearly vertical. These frequencies usually are in the range of 2-10 MHz, though sometimes the limit is higher. The trick is to select a frequency which is below the current critical frequency (the highest frequency which the F layer will reflect at a maximum–90 degree–angle of incidence) but not so far below the critical frequency that the D and/or E layers mess things up too much.

For more detailed information and antenna design go to: http://www.w5jck.com/nvis/W5JCK-NVIS-Antenna-Presentation.pdf